'Martin' star Tommy Ford dies at 52 years old

Tommy Ford who played the role of Tommy on the '90s hit show "Martin" is dead. It was reported earlier in the day that he was on life support after an aneurysm ruptured in his abdomen. He was surrounded by family and friends when he passed away today. His family made the decision to turn off the life support this night.
Ford played Martin Lawrence's best friend for all 5 seasons of the show.

Tommy had roles on "New York Undercover" and "The Parkers." According to his official website, he was in the process of filming a documentary.

According to Tommy's Instagram, he was battling health issues before the rupture in his abdomen. In late September, he shared photos that showed him in the hospital

"I'm having a Knee Replacement surgery this morning. Please keep me in your prayers! Love you all! #kneereplacement #surgeryday #tommyford #earlymorning," he said.

A week later, he shared an image of himself getting physical therapy on his knee.

"Hey Family...I thank you all for all your prayers...God heard you!!!," he wrote. "My doctor was a little surprised that I was stronger than anticipated for an old fat fart replacing a knee. He said he knew the knee was bad but after opening me up it was much worse than he thought, but God is good! "I passed the test and was released a day earlier! I'm in a little pain which is expected after a major surgery but I started [therapy] this morning and on my way to recovery! Thanks for your prayers and words of encouragement! Love y'all!!! #thepowerofprayer #kneereplacement #recovery #therapy #blessed #newday #godisgood."

His co-star Carl Payne who was at Ford's bedside on Wednesday morning made a press statement on behalf of the family.

He said:

"On behalf of the family, we would like to thank everyone for their love, support and prayers."

Adding that the family will announce funeral arrangements later.

Before he passed, his Co-star Martin Lawrence shared a photo of two of them together and wrote:

Prayers for my brother @bigtommyford that the Lord watches over him and his family thru this difficult time #Blessings #PrayersUp

This post first appeared on Linda Ikeji's Blog. Read the original story here.